Gun rule compromise?

The battle between extremists on both sides of the gun issue is becoming rampant again. This is a battle that I have difficulty understanding. On the one side the NRA and some other extremist groups are against any and all laws that might keep any one from owning any kind of gun, regardless, it seems, of their background, or qualifications for owning a gun. On the other is a group who says no one, regardless of the circumstances should be allowed to own a gun.
There seems to be little middle ground.

Guns are articles that must be handled carefully. They do kill. They are dangerous in the wrong hands. They have caused innumerable deaths and maiming cases. Guns are also articles that can give a lot of pleasure and even some security when handled properly by those who are qualified. The problem is that, like most things in today’s world there have to be some sensible rules so that innocent people are not harmed by them, and this has proven to be near impossible to get any action on, due to powerful lobbies.

There are far too many guns in America today, that is a fact of life and likely cannot be changed at this late date. However, we can manage the vast majority of these guns if we are willing to put in place a few objective rules.

First, there needs to be a national law that can’t be overridden by state or local governments that anyone who wants a gun must submit to a thorough background, emotional and mental check. Then there needs to be a federal law that requires thorough training in gun handling and storage. These rules must include all kinds of purchases, including gun shops, gun shows and private sales. Finally, there must be national laws that seriously and without exception, punish all who illegally buy, sell, handle, store or smuggle any sort of guns. This law should have no three strikes or any other weakening clauses, the first time you are caught in any of these activities you go to jail for a long time without parole possibilities.

There is one more item that seems to cause much consternation among some gun enthusiasts–assault weapons and similar items. I can see no legitimate use for any of these, including semi automatic weapons for anyone other than the military or law enforcement and even there, there needs to be strict control mechanisms that keep close track of all weapons under their care, including those in police and military storage due to confiscation.
We must do these reasonable and pragmatic things if we are ever going to slow down the gun killings in America.

Remember, we lead the world both in number of guns and in number of deaths by guns. Those are probably not facts we should be proud of.

1. If a person is prohibited by federal law from owning a firearm, the NCIS background check needs to reflect that and prohibit the purchase. (All gun show purchase in CO must pass a background check, even if it’s a private seller.

2. Any public university or college should not be allowed to have more strict rules on carrying firearms than the state they reside in. (Preemption). I am not saying everyone should be required to carry a gun, but if you choose to, whether openly or concealed with a permit, you should be able to do so on the grounds of a public university if the state allows it.

What really needs to happen is anyone who cannot be trusted with a firearm should not be walking the streets in the first place. Unfortunately, we need to do a lot of work in our criminal justice and mental health for that to happen.

lincmercguy

So 22,000 federal gun laws aren’t quite enough?

Two things need to happen:

1. If a person is prohibited by federal law from owning a firearm, the NCIS background check needs to reflect that and prohibit the purchase. (All gun show purchase in CO must pass a background check, even if it’s a private seller.

2. Any public university or college should not be allowed to have more strict rules on carrying firearms than the state they reside in. (Preemption). I am not saying everyone should be required to carry a gun, but if you choose to, whether openly or concealed with a permit, you should be able to do so on the grounds of a public university if the state allows it.

What really needs to happen is anyone who cannot be trusted with a firearm should not be walking the streets in the first place. Unfortunately, we need to do a lot of work in our criminal justice and mental health for that to happen.

Brian B

John, While your hopes are admirable let’s look at how well all the other things that are banned by law work?

1) Driving:
a) Causes almost 2x the deaths that guns cause annually.
b) Causes almost 2,000,000 hospital visits per year.
c) Drunk Driving is illegal, how is that working out?
d) Underage driving is illegal, how is that working out?
e) Unlicensed driving is illegal, how is that working out?
f) Uninsured driving is illegal, how is that working out?
g) DWI driving is illegal, how is that working out?
h) High speed driving is illegal, how is that working out?
i) Street racing is illegal, how is that working?

2) Pornography:
a) All participants must be 18 and document it. How is that working out?
b) No one under 18 can buy or possess it. How is that working out?
c) Child Porn is illegal. How is that working out?

3) Assault:
a) Rape is illegal. How is that working out?
b) Assault is illegal. How is that working out?
c) Numerous other types are illegal. How is that working out?

4) Drugs and alcohol:
a) Dope is illegal. How is that working out?
b) Prescription drugs in the hands of people who have not been prescribed is illegal. How is that working out?
c) Cocaine, Herion and many other drugs are illegal. How is that working out?
d) Alcohol can’t be in possession of minors. How is that working out?
e) People can’t be drunk in public. How is that working out?

You see how many laws we have to keep people from doing stupid things don’t work. What in the world makes you think more gun laws will work? You are an idealist who has never been in a position of calling the police in an emergancy. It is the longest 2-5 minutes in your life, and possibly the last. The police are NOT there to help you out if someone breaks into your house. You must be able to defend your property and family. In every other country that has gun control laws they have seen a rise in violent crime and robbery. The NRA offered a sticker for free to anyone who hates guns like you do. It simply says “There are no guns in this house” I would even be happy to make you a large sign for your front window. Bet you won’t put it up. You know darn well that it is a “rob me” sign.

Learn you facts before you spout about gun control. You can’t legislate stupid people. You can have all the hoops you want, someone who wants to break the law will. There is NO WAY to stop them and I would argue with anyone, including the police, that it can’t be done. VT was a tragedy on many fronts. This idiot reloaded several times and no one even threw a chair at him. People like you have helped to raise a generation of kids who only fear guns and don’t understand them enough to know that the 2-3 seconds to reload them gives you a chance to fight back.

Brian B

John, While your hopes are admirable let’s look at how well all the other things that are banned by law work?

1) Driving:
a) Causes almost 2x the deaths that guns cause annually.
b) Causes almost 2,000,000 hospital visits per year.
c) Drunk Driving is illegal, how is that working out?
d) Underage driving is illegal, how is that working out?
e) Unlicensed driving is illegal, how is that working out?
f) Uninsured driving is illegal, how is that working out?
g) DWI driving is illegal, how is that working out?
h) High speed driving is illegal, how is that working out?
i) Street racing is illegal, how is that working?

2) Pornography:
a) All participants must be 18 and document it. How is that working out?
b) No one under 18 can buy or possess it. How is that working out?
c) Child Porn is illegal. How is that working out?

3) Assault:
a) Rape is illegal. How is that working out?
b) Assault is illegal. How is that working out?
c) Numerous other types are illegal. How is that working out?

4) Drugs and alcohol:
a) Dope is illegal. How is that working out?
b) Prescription drugs in the hands of people who have not been prescribed is illegal. How is that working out?
c) Cocaine, Herion and many other drugs are illegal. How is that working out?
d) Alcohol can’t be in possession of minors. How is that working out?
e) People can’t be drunk in public. How is that working out?

You see how many laws we have to keep people from doing stupid things don’t work. What in the world makes you think more gun laws will work? You are an idealist who has never been in a position of calling the police in an emergancy. It is the longest 2-5 minutes in your life, and possibly the last. The police are NOT there to help you out if someone breaks into your house. You must be able to defend your property and family. In every other country that has gun control laws they have seen a rise in violent crime and robbery. The NRA offered a sticker for free to anyone who hates guns like you do. It simply says “There are no guns in this house” I would even be happy to make you a large sign for your front window. Bet you won’t put it up. You know darn well that it is a “rob me” sign.

Learn you facts before you spout about gun control. You can’t legislate stupid people. You can have all the hoops you want, someone who wants to break the law will. There is NO WAY to stop them and I would argue with anyone, including the police, that it can’t be done. VT was a tragedy on many fronts. This idiot reloaded several times and no one even threw a chair at him. People like you have helped to raise a generation of kids who only fear guns and don’t understand them enough to know that the 2-3 seconds to reload them gives you a chance to fight back.

john

So,your saying that no laws work, so we should just abandon our rule of law that is a key part of our Constitution and become an anarchy?
How would that help us?
I’d be interested in your thoughts.

john

So,your saying that no laws work, so we should just abandon our rule of law that is a key part of our Constitution and become an anarchy?
How would that help us?
I’d be interested in your thoughts.

Ron

We have compromised to the tune of 22,000 gun laws on the books.How many more do you want?We were told violent felons should not have guns.We agreed and now all felons can not own a gun.If you smoked pot when you were 18,not paying a fine,shoplifting when you were 20 and many other non violent crimes.Now if you have a restraining order on you which is not a crime but a civil action you are banned from owning a gun.If you spank your child and leave a red mark on their butt and are convicted of domestic violence which is not even a felony you can not own a gun.As you can see if they prohibited the mentally ill from owning guns what they would mean is anyone who had any problems which be 75% of the US.This is why gun owners are fighting against more gun laws.

Ron

We have compromised to the tune of 22,000 gun laws on the books.How many more do you want?We were told violent felons should not have guns.We agreed and now all felons can not own a gun.If you smoked pot when you were 18,not paying a fine,shoplifting when you were 20 and many other non violent crimes.Now if you have a restraining order on you which is not a crime but a civil action you are banned from owning a gun.If you spank your child and leave a red mark on their butt and are convicted of domestic violence which is not even a felony you can not own a gun.As you can see if they prohibited the mentally ill from owning guns what they would mean is anyone who had any problems which be 75% of the US.This is why gun owners are fighting against more gun laws.

Scott

>>the NRA and some other extremist groups are against any and all laws that might keep any one from owning any kind of gun, regardless, it seems, of their background, or qualifications for owning a gun.

Scott

>>the NRA and some other extremist groups are against any and all laws that might keep any one from owning any kind of gun, regardless, it seems, of their background, or qualifications for owning a gun.

Nathan

Brian B. (I know I’m late but….)

Did you know you aren’t even allow to defend your house against an invader unless you can prove it is self-defense, like they are going to attack you or your family. Yeah, its actually illegal, by law you are required to “sneak-out” if possible. If you shoot an invader (armed or unarmed), you could be charged for murder and be put away for life.

Maybe you should you look up what you’re talking about!

Laws are neccessary of course there will be lawbreakers, laws are meant to discourage not erase acts. That would be an unrealistic goals. If we know something can hurt someone like Heroine, its the governments job to protect its citizens. If guns are causing harm then why complain about people who want to make america safer. Yes, there are some dumb gun laws, but there are dumb people out there, and we could probably lose some and gain some, in order to acheive a safe but reasonable society.

Nathan

Brian B. (I know I’m late but….)

Did you know you aren’t even allow to defend your house against an invader unless you can prove it is self-defense, like they are going to attack you or your family. Yeah, its actually illegal, by law you are required to “sneak-out” if possible. If you shoot an invader (armed or unarmed), you could be charged for murder and be put away for life.

Maybe you should you look up what you’re talking about!

Laws are neccessary of course there will be lawbreakers, laws are meant to discourage not erase acts. That would be an unrealistic goals. If we know something can hurt someone like Heroine, its the governments job to protect its citizens. If guns are causing harm then why complain about people who want to make america safer. Yes, there are some dumb gun laws, but there are dumb people out there, and we could probably lose some and gain some, in order to acheive a safe but reasonable society.

Vincent Carroll is The Denver Post's editorial page editor. He has been writing commentary on politics and public policy in Colorado since 1982 and was originally with the Rocky Mountain News, where he was also editor of the editorial pages until that newspaper gave up the ghost in 2009.

Guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 150 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address, day and evening phone numbers, and may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.

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